


Somnambulism

by imalivebecauseirondad



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Gay Harley Keener, Gen, Harley and Peter are adorable bros, I LOVE HER SO MUCH, I love those two, Irondad, MJ - Freeform, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pepper Potts Is Awesome, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Has Nightmares, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tags May Change, actually he loves you but we'll get to that later, but she's an awesome aunt, guys this is literally just fluff, i feel so sorry for her, i love all these people actually, i love that duo, may deserves better, oh mj dont worry he likes you too, pepper and peter are amazing too, she's underappreciated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:54:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22928290
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imalivebecauseirondad/pseuds/imalivebecauseirondad
Summary: som·nam·bu·lismsleepwalking; to walk around and sometimes perform other actions while asleep.*****Peter Parker is many things.A sleepwalker is not one of them.At least, that's what he thinks.Or: Five times Peter sleepwalked, and one time he didn't
Relationships: May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Peter Parker and Harley Keener - Relationship
Comments: 19
Kudos: 240





	1. Ned

Ned Leeds knows a lot of things about Peter Parker.

He knows he's Spider Man. He knows he lost more than anyone ever should. He knows he loves ~~his father figure~~ Tony Stark. He knows about his small crush on MJ, which Peter probably didn't know about himself. He knows how to calm him down after a nightmare or a panic attack, after stumbling in on him on a bad night. He knows Peter Parker almost as well as he knew himself.

But one thing Ned didn't know?

Peter Parker is a sleepwalker.

* * *

He finds out by accident. He invites him and MJ over for a sleepover, on a Saturday night, claiming that they all need a rest from school and Flash and teachers and life in general. Peter agrees right away, and MJ pretends to be grumpy about it, but they all know she's secretly pleased.

They spend the whole evening throwing popcorn at the screen while they watch Big hero Six, and he's pretty sure all three of them are teary-eyed when Tadashi dies. But Peter is definitely the most affected, and Ned thinks that maybe Hiro has a bit too much in common with Peter.

"Come one, guys, let's clean up." Ned announces, standing up. His Iron Man blanket falls off him, along with a few stray kernels of popcorn. "My mom's going to come and tell us to sleep in a little bit, so we should hurry up."

Peter frowns, just a bit. "But I wanted to finish the-" He interrupts himself by yawning. MJ rolls her eyes.

"We can finish the movie tomorrow, dork," she says, giving Peter a small shove. "Besides, you look like death. Have you been sleeping lately? I don't want you slacking off in decathlon just because you're tired, Parker."

Ned can easily hear the hidden concern in her words, and rolls his eyes fondly. Of course MJ would disguise her worry by claiming it was for her own benefit. "I bet you've drawn, like, a dozen sketches of him lately. Peter is a walking, talking, wall crawling crisis."

She smirks, and that's all the answer he needs.

"Fine," Peter grumbles, reluctantly pushing himself off the couch, where he was sitting with MJ. Ned squeals internally.

 _They're so dumb,_ he thinks. _How the hell do they not know that they're both soulmates?????? THEY WERE LITERALLY CUDDLING AJBVJRTGBJSDBC-_

He cuts himself off, taking a deep breath, getting ready to deal with their pure obliviousness. "We should clean up," he repeats, looking around. Pillows and blankets were scattered around the room, along with popcorn kernels. Peter's red and gold shirt, proudly emblazoned with the words, _You Know Who I Am,_ is wrinkled and covered in even more popcorn. Ned stops for a second to think about how many bags of popcorn MJ had even made when she'd disappeared into the kitchen, then shook his head. It was best not to question MJ.

"Yeah," MJ says, picking up a blanket and throwing it at Peter's face. He easily catches it and drapes it across his shoulder like a cape. "Damn you and your stupid fast reflexes."

Peter grins at her and picks up a pillow. "C'mon, let's hurry up. Ned's mom will freak if she sees this mess."

That spurs all three of them into action, and by the time his mom is home, all three of them are already getting ready for bed.

* * *

Ned is lying on his bed with his two best friends who are in love with each other. He wonders if this is how Grover felt when he was around Percy and Annabeth. (Sue him, his sister made him curious and he ended up loving those books.)

"Good night," Peter says, yawning. "Love you guys."

"Love you too," Ned replies, eyes slipping shut. He hears MJ snort.

"Losers." she mutters, and they're quiet for a moment. Then- "I love you idiots too."

He feels happy and content, curled up in his bed with his best friends. He has no doubt that Peter and MJ will end up cuddling together, just like they did last time they all slept at Peter's house, and wonders just how excited Peter is by MJ's declaration.

A few moments later, his eyes become impossibly heavy, and he drifts off to sleep.

* * *

A thump wakes Ned up. He closes his eyes and grumbles, trying to go back to sleep. Then there's another noise, and he opens his eyes, suddenly panicked.

 _Somebody broke in_ , he thinks. What is he supposed to do? Ned isn't Peter, he can't fight them off. MJ probably would've glared at them until they left, but he wasn't scary, either. He's debating whether he should get out his old baseball bat or not when he hears a voice.

"May?"

Peter.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Ned asks, pushing himself out of bid. He can see MJ sleeping peacefully, her chest rising and falling with each breath. He manages to make out Peter standing in front of his door.

"May." Peter says again, fumbling with the doorknob. Ned lunges forward.

"Peter!" he hisses, careful not to wake up MJ. "What are you _doing_? Are you trying to wake everyone up?"

Peter just stares back at him with blank eyes. Ned feels the hairs on his arms and the back of his neck raise.

"If you’re messing with me, it isn’t funny." he tries. There's no answer, and his eyes finally fully adjust to the darkness. He squints at Peter. His arms are dangling limply by his side, his eyes are glazed over and he's swaying slightly.

"May. Wanna." he mumbles, and Ned finally realizes what's going on.

"You're asleep," he announces. Of course, Peter doesn't answer. "Huh. I didn't think you were a sleepwalker."

Behind him, MJ grumbles in her sleep, and he shuts up immediately. Ned wraps his hand around Peter's wrist and tugs him forward. "Come one. Let's go to bed."

Peter doesn't protest, and willingly follows him to the bed. Ned manages to get him in without squishing MJ, before climbing in himself. He waits until Peter's breathing has evened out, and then he finally let's himself go back to sleep.

* * *

When morning comes, Peter doesn't seem well-rested. "I'm tired," he grumbles, slouching in his chair. MJ rolls her eyes and shoves a plate with a stack of waffles on it under his nose.

"I know. Now, eat." she tells him. Peter makes no move to obey her, and she sighs. "You know you have to eat to satisfy your metabolism- unless, of course, you _want_ to pass out from lack of food?"

Ned considers mentioning Peter's sleepwalking, but he decided to keep it to himself. Peter would have told them about it already unless he was embarrassed about it. Ned can respect that. He decides that, at least for now, he'll keep Peter's secret.


	2. May

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Mom?" he says again, more insistently this time. She frowns.
> 
> "No, I'm May," she tries again. "Your mom is..."
> 
> She can't say the word. Gone.
> 
> "Mom."
> 
> She studies his face. His eyes are closed, which she finds weird, and he's swaying slightly. A line of drool makes it's way down his chin, and she grabs a tissue to wipe it away. A second later, she notices the tear tracks on his face, and feels a bit like crying herself.
> 
> "Petey? Can you hear me?"
> 
> He doesn't respond, and that's all the confirmation she needs. Peter is sleepwalking.

The first time May finds Peter sleepwalking, he's five.

It's right after his parent's death. It's been hard on all of them, with Peter asking when his mom and dad would come back from their trip, and having to tell him they weren't coming back. Ben had started to cry.

But what frightens her the most? Peter didn't shed a single tear. He turned pale, and his voice became shaky, and he'd fallen into her arms right away, but there wasn't a single tear in his eyes.

May can't stop thinking about it. She and Ben stay up for an hour, after sending Peter to his bed, talking about it, until Ben is too tired to continue. She smiles at him.

"Go to sleep, honey. It's been a hard day," she tells him softly. "You need the rest."

Ben sighs, grabbing her hand and pressing a kiss to it. "Thanks, May. I love you."

"Love you too," she replies, carding a hand through her husband's hair until he falls asleep. Their breathing is the only sound in the room as she gazes at his face. His eyes were red and swollen, she remembers, and there'd been tear tracks marring his face until she forced him to clean up.

"Why them?" she whispers. Richard and Mary Parker were kind, fascinating, intelligent and good people. They hadn't deserved to die. And Peter didn't deserve to lose his parents.

Ben's voice echoes in her head.

_"We're all he has left, May. Richard and Mary wanted us to take care of him, and I would hate it if he was stuck in foster care. I know we didn't plan for kids. But...we have to do this. I'm sorry."_

She bites her lip. She never wanted kids. They'd agreed on that. And now there's a five year old boy, sad and grieving, sleeping in the room across the hall. She doubts she'd be a good parent. Her mother was a terrible mom, ignoring her and criticizing her whenever they spoke.

She shoves away the painful memories as tears well in her eyes. Mary was _such_ a good mom and person in general. She can never live up to her, especially with no one to look to for guidance.

It's only now that the reality of what happened is hitting her fully- they're _dead._ Gone. They aren't coming back. The tears she's been holding back for so long finally fall. She lies there in bed for a long time, tears streaming down her face as he tries to stifle her sobs, until she finally falls into a restless sleep.

* * *

_"Ben!" May laughs as her husband tries to wave her away from the stove._

_"What? We both know I'm the better cook," Ben says, grinning. She presses a kiss to his cheek, grabbing a towel._

_"True enough." May takes a seat at the table, watching him cook, love swelling up in her. They'd only gotten married a year ago (Peter was their flower girl, obviously), and she still couldn't believe it._

_"I love you," Ben says suddenly, turning his head around and meeting her eyes. She smiles at him._

_"I love you too," she replies, getting up and wrapping her arms around his waist. "And if you love me so much, maybe now you'll let me cook?"_

_Ben laughs and shoos her away. "Not a chance."_

_She manages to sneak a kiss onto his lips, and they stand there like that until there's a shout of "Gross!"_

_They break apart and look at Peter, who's standing at the doorway with an accusing look on his face. "You said no being gross in the kitchen, remember?"_

_May ruffles his hair. "That we did, baby."_

_Ben's phone rings. "I'll get it!" Peter says, wiggling out of her hold. "Oh, it's Daddy! Can I talk to him after?"_

_"Sure, kiddo," Ben says, wiping his hands on a towel and taking the phone. "Hello? Yes, this is Ben Parker, Richard's brother."_

_There's along silence, and then devastation crosses Ben's face. May slips her hand in his, heart in her throat, and he grips it with a crushing intensity._

_"What?" Ben whispers, sounding shattered. And then she knows._

_No, May thinks._ _No, not them. Please._

_Ben meets her eyes, tears running down his cheeks, and the burning in her eyes gives way to tears._

* * *

She wakes up, later in the night. She isn't sure what woke her up, and she lies there quietly for a second, listening. After a moment, she hears a small voice.

"Mom?" Peter asks, and her heart clenches as she turns to face the little boy standing beside her bed.

"No, baby," she whispers, getting out of bed to crouch in front of him. "It's May."

"Mom?" he says again, more insistently this time. She frowns.

"No, I'm May," she tries again. "Your mom is..."

She can't say the word. _Gone._

"Mom."

She studies his face. His eyes are closed, which she finds weird, and he's swaying slightly. A line of drool makes it's way down his chin, and she grabs a tissue to wipe it away. A second later, she notices the tear tracks on his face, and feels a bit like crying herself.

"Petey? Can you hear me?"

He doesn't respond, and that's all the confirmation she needs. Peter is sleepwalking. She sighs and stands up.

"Alright, baby, come with me," she says, though she knows he won't respond. She takes his arm gently and guides him to the bed, pulling him up beside her. The second she covers him with a blanket, he curls up and his breathing evens out. Ben shifts a little, and his eyes open a bit.

"May?" his voice is rough and groggy. She crawls into bed and reaches over Peter to brush a strand of hair away from his face. 

"It's nothing, Ben," she whispers. "Go back to sleep."

He grunts and listens to her. She lays her head down on the pillow, closing her eyes. A moment later, she feels something tug at the end of her shirt. She unwillingly opens her eyes and looks down, only to find Peter's small hand tightly holding on to the end of his shirt. She softens and wraps an arm around him to bring him closer. Peter sighs in his sleep and buries his face in her stomach. She smiles at him.

" _We're all he has left, May."_

"If I'm all he has left," she says to herself. "If I have to be his mother...I'll do my damn best to be a good one."


	3. MJ

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Peter?" she asks in a heavy voice, staring at him with half-lidded eyes. It's only when he gets up and starts to walk that her mind kicks into action and MJ quickly gets up and follows him. "No, what are you doing?"
> 
> She moves in front of him and grabs his arms, staring at his face. Ned told her that Peter sleepwalks sometimes, and he definitely looks asleep. "Alright, then. You're sleepwalking."

"Hey guys," Peter says, running up to Ned and MJ at the front of the school. His voice sounds much more hoarse than usual. 

"Hey, man!" Ned says, before pausing. His voice sounds more concerned when he speaks again. "Woah, dude, you okay? 'Cause no offense, but you don't look so good."

MJ looks up at him.

Observation 1: His face is flushed.

Observation 2: His nose is red.

Observation 3: His voice is hoarse and rough, and it sounds like it hurts to speak.

Observation 4: He keeps sniffling.

Conclusion: Peter is sick.

"You're sick," she says. He immediately shakes his head.

"No, no, no, why would you-" The rest of his protests are cut off by a cough, which soon turns into a fit of painful coughs. She winces just hearing them. Ned rubs his back until it's over.

"Pete, you should really go home. You don't look too good," he says worriedly. Peter shakes his head.

"No, guys, I'm fine!"

"Really, now?" MJ raises a disbelieving eyebrow. "Look me in the eyes and say that."

He doesn't. "Go home, loser." Her voice is a touch softer than before, but how is she supposed to not melt when he's looking at her with those doe eyes of his? It's unfortunate that she has a crush on him. She'd be able to deny him a lot more things then.

"It's just a cold," he insists. "I'm- I'm Spider Man, I can do this!"

"Keep your voice down!" she hisses. Peter looks at her sheepishly, then sneezes loudly.

"C'mon, Pete, listen to MJ," Ned says. "You know she's always right."

Peter manages a small smile, and actually seems to be considering the option, which is concerning enough in itself. Then his face falls. "But May isn't home," he says miserably. "And I can't- I'm not going to call her out of work just because of a little cold. It's fine, I can-"

"Come with me," she interrupts him. Ned and Peter stare at her, wide-eyed, and she scowls. "What?"

"What do you mean, come with you?" Ned echoes, screwing his face up in confusion. She rolls her eyes.

"I _mean_ Peter can stay at my home. I'll skip today. You're welcome to join," she explains. Peter's shaking his head before she's finished talking.

"May will find out anyway, and I don't want you guys to get in trouble because of me," he protests. MJ snorts.

"I don't know about Ned, but my mom couldn't care less if I skipped. She never bothers to pay attention to that stuff," she tells them, a bit bitterly. There's a bit of an awkward silence, so she adds, "Besides, I can just pretend to be May and say you're sick. Let's go. Ned, you coming?"

"Yeah-yeah, sure," Ned agrees. Peter blinks.

"But-" She cuts him off by grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. He shuts up after that, staring at their joined hands before a smile spreads across his face. She ignores how warm her own face feels and Ned's shit-eating grin, and just continues walking.

* * *

"Mr. Stark," Peter says her later, when it's nearly night. MJ checks his temperature. 102.3°C. He definitely has a fever. "He told me that- that someone he knows named Harley is gonna come and visit."

"And...you don't like this Harley?" MJ asks, getting up to get him some soup. A hand grabs her wrist. Peter's hand.

"Please stay," he whispers, pitifully looking up at her with slightly teary eyes, no doubt from how bad his fever is. She glances at the kitchen. Ned grins at her and throws some popcorn in his mouth. She glares at him and sits down, crossing her arms and looking away from Peter as he continues. "It's not that- it's not that I don't _like_ Harley. I haven't even met him. But Mr. Stark sound really proud when he talks about him, and he- and he seems really excited, and Harley seems really smart. He helped him fix the Iron Man suit when he was only _11._ "

She scoffs. "You have no idea how he sounds when he talks about you, do you?" she murmurs, with a small smile.

"What do you mean?" Peter asks. That's right, she forgot about his enhanced hearing.

To be honest, MJ hadn't really liked Stark at first. He'd seemed like the typical egotistic billionaire. But then he helped with cleaning up after Sokovia, and he'd helped Peter (she didn't want to think about how Peter might have ended up if Stark hadn't found him), and Peter seemed to positively _glow_ when he talked about the man. 

Then, Peter had gotten hurt, and Stark had been one of the first to respond, terrifying in his anger and worry. Peter had been back by two days, and MJ had been there to see Stark completely rip apart the two fools who tired to kidnap Spider Man.

After that, she didn't think he was too bad. Especially since he gave her and Ned his personal phone number for whatever reason. Both Peter and Stark seem oblivious to the fact that they loved each other, that they are literally father and son. Looking at Peter, MJ figures that Stark could take care of him if his fever got higher.

"It's nothing," she says dismissively, before looking at him and realizing that he fell asleep during her internal monologue. "Let me go get some soup."

"Hey, MJ!" someone yells, and she groans. Her older brother is home. "I'm home!"

He stops when he reaches the living room, and MJ can't really blame him. Ned is sitting in the kitchen, popcorn halfway to his mouth. Peter is swaddled in a blanket and looks like he's in a deep sleep, while MJ half out of her seat.

"What the fuck is going one here?" Miles asks. MJ lets out a long-suffering sigh.

"Miles, meet Ned and Peter. Losers, meet my brother, Miles." she introduces. Ned shoves the popcorn in his mouth and gives a half wave. Peter doesn't react.

"Peter?" Miles repeats, with a shit-eating grin. MJ glares at him, because he is _not_ going to spill about her crush.

"Did you skip school, MJ?" Miles asks, plopping down next to Ned and taking some of his popcorn. "I'm so proud of you. My baby sister's following in my footsteps."

"Shut up," she grumbles. "Peter's sick, so we brought him here since no one's at his home."

"Huh." Miles peers at Peter's face. "He doesn't look too good."

"He'll burn through it," Ned assures him. "This happened once before. It was hell for the first day, but after he slept he got way better."

"Would've been nice to know that before, Leeds." MJ huffs. "Now, both of you, clean up. Yes, Miles, that includes you, I don't care if you're older than me, we know I'm more dominant here. I'll take Peter to my room."

"Yes, ma'am!" Ned salutes, and the two of them quickly finish the rest of the popcorn. She has a feeling that Ned and Peter will get along amazingly with Miles. She grabs Peter''s arm and drapes it over her shoulder, helping him to her room. As they leave, Miles calls, "You better not play hide the zucchini in there!"

"Shut up!" she yells, over the sound of Ned and Miles' laughter. MJ grits her teeth and shoves open her door with her shoulder. "This is all your fault," she tells a sleeping Peter, laying him down on the bed. He opens one of his eyes a bit, squinting at her.

"Wha-" he starts, before sneezing loudly. "S'rry."

"It's fine," she says, frustration gone. She hopes Ned was right about Peter burning through the fever. She eyes his t-shirt and sweatpants. "You fine in those clothes?"

"Mmhm," he hums as MJ wraps a blanket around him. She can't help but think that he looks absolutely adorable like that, then shakes her head. God, he's making her _ridiculously_ soft. "Stay with me?"

MJ melts under his pleading gaze and relents. "Fine," she agrees. She _is_ exhausted. "But I need to change."

"Won't look," Peter mumbles. She smiles. _I didn't think you would._

She quickly changes into one of Miles' t-shirts (what? they're comfy.) and a pair of her own sweatpants. She slips under the covers, ad Peter moves a bit closer to her. MJ's face heats up, but she doesn't move. It's...nice.

She falls asleep soon after.

(Ned and Miles fanboy when they find them [sleeping](https://ogeeitsme.tumblr.com/post/190826278652/sleepover-peter-n-mj-just-played-board-games-all) in the same bed, and agree not to disturb them. But they'll _definitely_ tease them later on.)

* * *

MJ's woken up by Peter shifting around. One of her arms was over her head, and the other was slung over Peter's waist. It's unfairly comfortable. She's too tired to be embarrassed about their position. She just yawns and shifts a bit closer, not caring if she also gets sick. "Don' move," she mutters. Peter doesn't seem to hear her. He clumsily gets up and swings his legs over the side of the bed.

"Peter?" she asks in a heavy voice, staring at him with half-lidded eyes. It's only when he gets up and starts to walk that her mind kicks into action and MJ quickly gets up and follows him. "No, what are you doing?"

She moves in front of him and grabs his arms, staring at his face. Ned told her that Peter sleepwalks sometimes, and he definitely looks asleep. "Alright, then. You're sleepwalking."

Peter moves away from her, and slowly but surely shuffles towards the living room. "C'mon, let's go back to bed," she tries. Peter seems to have different ideas. He nearly runs into a wall before MJ tugs his arm and stop him from moving. Peter continues walking, leaving her with no choice but to follow.

Peter being Peter, he nearly trips over the coffee table, and MJ has to lunge forward to grab him. This results in her arms wrapping tightly around his waist, and them wobbling a bit before she pulls them straight. MJ finds that she doesn't want to let go, but she forces herself to. "Alright, I think that enough. Time to go back to bed."

Peter follows without protest this time. When she helps him lay down on her bed again, he immediately seems to fall into a real sleep. MJ sighs and lies down beside him. She watches the rise and fall of his chest, listens to his soft breathing, and closes her eyes. It's soothing.

She remembers how hard it used to be, having a crush on this idiot as he gushed about Liz Allan all the time. She'd hidden her feeling for nearly two years now, and didn't plan on revealing them anytime soon. But MJ knew it wasn't just a crush anymore.

"I think I might be falling in love with you," she whispers.

No one answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos make me happy! My tumblr is https://imalivebecauseirondad.tumblr.com/


	4. Pepper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "FRIDAY?" Pepper asks the AI. "Is Tony awake?"
> 
> "Boss is still sleeping," FRIDAY answers, her voice lower than usual. Pepper frowns, before remembering they have a guest with them.
> 
> "What about Peter?"
> 
> "Peter is out of bed, but he seems to be asleep. I have been informed that he occasionally sleepwalks," FRIDAY informs her. Pepper dries her hands and leaves the washroom.
> 
> "I better get him back to bed," she murmurs, leaving their room. "Thanks, FRIDAY."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is my dream to have one of my fics recommended, so if someone recommended this to you, please please please let me know in the comments. It would make my day.

Pepper Potts meets Peter Parker without even knowing it.

Tony has a mansion that he uses for when he wants to be alone, but he ends up sharing it with her. It's the best kept secret in the world, and the perfect place to relax. But Pepper's having a bad day, and being staying in the mansion won't help. She pulls on her jogging suit, ties back her hair, plugs in her earphones, and goes for a run.

She doesn't pay attention to her surroundings. She just closes her eyes and lets her feet hit the ground, step after step. Her music is loud enough to drown out any other sound, which is probably reason she ends up crashing into someone. She lands on her back with a thud, her earbuds falling out of her ears.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry," Pepper apologizes, getting up and offering a hand. The other person takes it, and she sees that he's just a teenager. He has brown curls and big brown eyes, and when he speaks, his voice is young and nervous.

"No, no, no! I'm fine, you don't need to apologize! I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention, and then I- um, are you okay, Miss Potts?" He looks at her uncertainly, and she smiles and nods.

"I'm fine, no need to worry. And really, it was my fault, I wasn't really paying attention. How did you get in here, anyway?" she asks. No one knows about this place, and she was careful to stay inside the mansion's grounds, which were big enough to give her a good jogging track.

"Oh! Um, Mr. Stark invited me over, and, well, I was just leaving?" He makes it sound like a question, and she isn't sure she believes him.

"What's your name?" Pepper asks, crossing her arms.

"Peter. Uh, Parker. I mean, I'm Peter Parker," he replies, and _oh,_ that makes much more sense. She relaxes and lets her arms drop to her sides.

"Peter! It's nice to finally meet you! Tony told me a lot about you. I'm sorry we had to meet this way, though," she says, holding out her hand. Peter stares at it for a second, before he grabs it and shakes it. He has a firm grip, she notes.

"Mr. Stark talks about me? To you?" he asks, sounding awe-struck. "Wait, what does he say about me?"

"Well," Pepper says, gesturing for him to follow her. "It's mainly good things, but occasionally Tony starts complaining about you being an idiot with no self-preservation. That's usually when I remind him that he's the exact same, if not worse."

"Oh," Peter says. He's filled with nervous energy, fidgeting with his hands and constantly looking around. It's a bit worrying.

"Are you okay, Peter?" Pepper asks him. He starts, looking at her with wide brown eyes. "You keep looking around and fidgeting. Oh, god, I should've asked before, I completely forgot, you probably have somewhere else to be-"

Peter shakes his head vigorously. "No, of course not, Miss Potts! I'm sorry, I sort of drank way too much coffee today, and I always get way too energetic when that happens, and Mr. Stark told me to go out and run a little bit so the energy would wear off a little bit, and it helped a lot. I'm not gonna drink any more coffee today," he tells her, tripping over his words a bit. It's ridiculously endearing. She can see why Tony likes him.

"Oh, I know what you mean." she replies, opening the door and going in. Peter follows, a bit hesitant. "I don't really drink coffee, but Tony does, and when he goes overboard on it- god, it's a nightmare."

"Yeah," Peter agrees. He seems to be relaxing a little, talking more openly. "I was there once when Mr. Stark had too much. I was like, 'Mr. Stark, are you okay? It's three in the morning' - please don't ask why I was up- and he stared me straight in the eyes and told me time is an illusion and also he had a lot of things to do and then he told me to go sleep but I took his coffee away and said 'Only if you sleep too!' so we both ended up crashing on the couch for the night."

Pepper smiles at his rambling. "How come you're here? Not that I mind- I'm really glad I got to meet you. But don't you live with your aunt?"

"Well...May's gone for the weekend, and Mr. Stark said I could stay here while she was gone, and May said that was good, so yeah," Peter tells her. "I'm sorry if I'm intruding- I'm sure I can stay at my friend's place-"

"No, no, no!" she interrupts, shaking her head. "No, you're not intruding at all! This is perfect, actually. With both of us here, we can actually get Tony to relax for the weekend. I'm not too busy for the next few days, so I'd like to get to know you a bit better, too, if you want."

"Yeah, that would be awesome, Miss Potts!" Peter says with a huge smile. Her heart positively melts at his innocence and youth. "Um, Mr. Stark keeps talking about someone named Harley who's coming over. Is he gonna, like, come this weekend? Because again, I don't want to intrude..."

Pepper shakes her head. "Call me Pepper. And, no, Harley's going to come next weekend. Tony's told him a lot about you too, actually. I think it would be nice if the two of you met. You'd probably get along."

Peter nods, eyes wide. He's already worming his way into her heart, she can tell, and she's only known him for a bit. _This weekend will be nice,_ she thinks.

* * *

Pepper wakes up in the middle of the night. Tony shifts beside her, mumbling something about underoos- or something like that. She might be mishearing things.

She gets out of bed, reluctant to leave the warmth and Tony, but she needs to go to the washroom. Her hair is a mess, and her eyes have dark shadows under them, she notices when she sees her reflection. When she's washing her hands, Pepper hears a noise from down the hallway, as if someone knocked something over.

"FRIDAY?" she asks the AI. "Is Tony awake?"

"Boss is still sleeping," FRIDAY answers, her voice lower than usual. Pepper frowns, before remembering they have a guest with them.

"What about Peter?"

"Peter is out of bed, but he seems to be asleep. I have been informed that he occasionally sleepwalks," FRIDAY informs her. Pepper dries her hands and leaves the washroom.

"I better get him back to bed," she murmurs, leaving their room. "Thanks, FRIDAY."

It isn't hard to find Peter. FRIDAY tells her he's still in his room, and he is. He's just sitting there, a notebook and pencil in his hands as he lethargically writes something down. She watches him for a moment, puzzled, before remembering why she came here.

"Hey, Peter," she says. She's not sure if he can hear her, but then he looks up at her. She has to admit that, even when sleepwalking, the teenager looks pretty cute. His baggy T-shirt- one she recognizes as Tony's - is wrinkled, and his soft curls are messy. His doe eyes are slightly open and glazed over, like he's looking at her through a veil. "What are you doing up at this time of the night, huh?"

"Bad." Peter says, in a slightly garbled voice. "Robot. No good."

"What robot? Oh- you mean the one you were working on with Tony? It's really good, Peter," she tries to console him. She has no experience with teenage boys. "Much better than anyone your age could make."

Peter just huffs and shakes his head. "No good," he repeats. "Won't like."

"Who won't like it?" she asks, sitting next to him. The scene is surreal, she thinks. She never once imagined she'd be up at three in the morning, wearing a t-shirt and Tony's pants, sitting next to an asleep-but-not-really kid and reassuring him about a robot he made.

"Mr. Stark." Peter says. "He won't like it."

Pepper sighs, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Peter. She barely knows him, but from what she's gathered, he's an affectionate person. She hopes the contact will calm him down a bit, and it does. He melts into her side, letting his head rest on her shoulder with a soft sigh. But his eyes are still open. "Oh, Peter," she murmurs. "Tony cares about you a lot, you know. I don't think he could ever not like something you would make. And, like I said earlier, it's incredibly advanced. Harley will like you."

Peter sighs again. She cranes her neck to look at the teenager, and his eyes are closed, a soft smile on his face. She lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and lets her head fall back. She can't bring herself to move, not when he's sleeping so soundly against her. Against her will, Pepper's eyes start to close, and the next thing she knows, everything is dark.

(That's how Tony finds them, later in the morning. It makes him feel ridiculously soft and warm. He smiles and gets FRIDAY to take a picture. He saves it in a file he calls, "My Favourite People'. Maybe it's sentimental, but he wants to remember these times, for as long as he can.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Pepper's here now! It's hard writing her, but I had fun. Kind of a bad ending, but I suck at endings anyway. Comments and kudos make me happy! :)
> 
> Stay safe, guys. COVID-19 is spreading, and it's more serious than ever. Be careful!


	5. Harley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harley is too hot to go to sleep, but he refuses to move. He's stubborn like that. He's starfished across his mattress. Peter is sleeping on an extra bed that Tony pulled out of nowhere for him, after spending nearly an hour gushing about his crush, a girl names MJ (which only slightly disappointed Harley- there were plenty fish in the sea, after all).
> 
> At least, Peter was sleeping on it.
> 
> Right now, Harley realizes, he has no idea where Peter is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AW YES MY FAVOURITE BOI FROM TENNESSEE IS HERE
> 
> Sorry I just love Harley.
> 
> I have to admit, I did not originally plan for the chapter to be like this, but this is how it turned out. Hope you enjoy!

Harley takes a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves in his stomach as he steps out of Tony's plane. He hates how nervous he feels- why would he need to be? This is Tony and Pepper- he knows them, likes them, loves them, even.

But he knows he isn't nervous because he's meeting them.

It's because of Peter Parker.

Maybe it's irrational, but he's always been slightly insecure of himself, ever since his father abandoned his family when Harley was five. And then he'd met Tony Stark, and they'd kept in contact, and Harley had finally been completely sure of himself.

He was Caroline Keener's son, Abigail Keener's sister, and Tony Stark's ~~kid~~ friend.

And then Tony started talking about Peter Parker in every one of their phone calls.

"You know, the other day Peter showed me this amazing..."

"Peter had this really good idea for..."

"Do you have any idea how smart Peter is? I swear, one day..."

And on and on and on.

For the first time since he was 11, Harley was once again insecure and unsure about himself. And maybe it's stupid, but he resents Peter Parker for making him feel this way, especially when he's had some recent... _revelations_ about himself that just make his self-esteem wobble even more.

All of these thoughts swirl through his head as he spots Tony waiting for him in front of a car. He's wearing a hoodie and a pair of grey pants. Harley immediately heads over to him, ignoring Happy, who's grumbling something about, "Damn teenagers and their rush."

"Hey, kid. How you doing?" Tony says when Harley's close enough. Harley shrugs. His nerves have all but disappeared now that Tony's here, in front of him.

"I'm not dead yet, so that's a plus. How about you, Mechanic?" he replies, grinning. There's no one else in view- certainly not another teenage boy his age, which makes him feel more relieved that he should.

"Eh, same old, same old." Tony shrugs, opening his car door. "Happy's driving us to the Compound. Get in, kid. We have a lot to talk about."

* * *

After maybe an hour of just talking and laughing with Tony, Harley feels much more relaxed than before. He's laughing at a joke Tony told him when Happy says, "We're here."

Tony smirks as Harley gapes at the building through his window. "Like what you see, kid?"

"Eh," Harley says, faux-nonchalantly. "I don't know. I liked the Tower better."

Tony laughs as they get out of the car. "Wait till you see the inside," he says, clapping a hand on Harley's shoulder. "I got a whole bowl of candy for you waiting in your room, by the way."

When he gets inside, Harley _definitely_ does not geek out over all the tech surrounding him, and the jets and pretty much everything. He does _not,_ and anyone who says otherwise is a big liar who lies.

"Oh my god," Harley says, heading into his room. It's almost exactly like his room back at the Tower, the room he'd only used twice but still loved. And just like Tony said, there's a bowl of candy on his table. " _Oh my god._ "

"Told you you'd like the inside," Tony says from the doorway, making Harley jump. "You should unpack quickly. We're about to have dinner."

"Will do, Mecha," Harley says, giving him a salute before shoving him out of his room. "Now leave, unless you want to watch me change, of course."

"I did _not_ need that picture in my mind, Keener!" Tony's muffled voice yells, and Harley knows he has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face ever. He collapses on his bed, staring at the ceiling, and any thought about Peter Parker is far from his head.

* * *

"Peter's coming over," Tony tells him, three blissful days after Harley's come to the Compound. Harley has to force himself to swallow the food in his mouth. "He'll be over for dinner. You'll love him, I'm telling you. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe it's a bad idea to introduce you two. You'll team up and try to give me a heart attack."

"I mean, you're old enough to have a heart attack anyways," Harley says. Tony cuffs him up the head, nearly making him lose hold of his invention. Harley snickers. "I heard your joints creak, old man. I think you're in need of an oiling."

"Ungrateful brat," Tony mutters, but he can see the smile on his face. "You're a damn menace."

"Eh, I learned from the best, _Tony Stank._ " Tony groans and hits his head against his desk. Harley's laughter echoes around the room.

"Rhodey and I will be having _words_ next time I see him," Tony says. "Anyways, play nice when Pete comes over."

Harley swallows the bad taste in his mouth and nods. "Will do, but really, you should be more worried about whether you'll survive the dinner."

Tony nods. "I know. I doubt I'll survive tonight, but I've always beat the odds, haven't I?"

"Yeah," Harley agrees. "Yeah, you have."

* * *

Harley's in the gym with music blasting into his ears when FRIDAY's voice interrupts his workout. His music is so loud that he can't hear what she said.

"What?" he asks, pulling out his earphones. FRIDAY seems to sigh before repeating herself.

"I said, Harley, I think you forgot about the fact that you have dinner with a guest in a few minutes."

Harley's footsteps falter and he's swept off the treadmill. "Fuck!" He gets up, groaning. "Oh, god, I forgot all about the dinner!"

He sprints out of the gym, panic only increasing when FRIDAY says, "Peter is in the elevator with Boss."

That gives him an extra boost of energy- he'd told Tony that he'd be there before Peter came. He bursts into the living room just as Tony and a teenager step out the elevator. He pants heavily, leaning against the door frame and looking at Peter Parker. His hair is a mess and he's sweaty, but his flushed cheeks have nothing to do with his workout. They have more to do with the fact that Peter Parker is both hot _and_ cute at the same time, which should be impossible, but he somehow manages to pull it off. For some reason, this makes Harley feel even more insecure about himself- maybe because he knows he's nothing compared to him.

Peter Parker has brown curls and warm brown eyes that are peering at him with a mixture of confusion and concern. He looks surprised by Harley's sudden appearance. "Um, hi?" he says, though it comes out as a question. "Are you okay? Do you need water?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Harley says, finally standing up properly. "Sorry, I forgot you were coming."

Peter flushes dark red, and Tony wraps an arm around his shoulder. "I reminded you a lot of times." Tony says to Harley, sounding slightly disapproving. It makes him want to curl up in a ball of misery on his bed, and Harley glowers at the floor.

"I got distracted," he mumbles. Tony presses his lips together but doesn't say anything else.

"At least you're here, even if you stink." He wrinkles his nose. "Go take a shower, Keener."

"Okay," Harley agrees, glad to have a way to leave the suffocating atmosphere of the room. "I'll be quick."

* * *

Harley tries to be quick. He really does. But he can't bring himself to leave the comfort of his room when he think about Tony and Peter. After a longer stretch of time than Tony had probably hoped, Harley finally forces himself to head to the living room. He finds Tony sitting at the table with Peter. Harley makes eye contact with Peter and his heart skips a beat, even as a bitter feeling burns in his stomach. Peter's the first to look away. "Sorry I took so long."

"It's fine," Tony says dismissively. "You're always losing track of time anyways, so I guess I should've expected this."

"I _am_ a wild card," Harley says, taking a seat. He sniffs at the air appreciatively. "Oh, is that pizza?"

"Yup! Straight from that one place you like."

"Thanks, Tony," he says, grabbing a slice. Tony takes some, and then Peter hesitantly reaches out and grabs a slice of-

" _Pineapple pizza?_ " Tony says, with a look of horror on his face. "Pete, you heathen!"

"What? It's good!" Peter protests, though his ears are red.

"It's disgusting," Harley corrects. Peter shrinks in on himself a little, and he immediately feels bad.

"Sorry," Peter apologizes, which- he has nothing to apologize for, so why is he?

"Eh, each to their own, I guess," Tony says, aiming a look of disgust at Peter's pizza. "Even if they have bad taste."

They eat in relative silence. Tony finishes first and goes to use the washroom, leaving Harley and Peter alone. "Sorry," he blurts out. Peter looks up, confusion evident on his face.

"What do you mean?" he asks. Harley looks away, cheeks heating up.

"Before. When I said I forgot you were coming. I didn't mean to be rude- I just...sort of lost track of time. And I wasn't really looking forward to meeting you, because..." he trails off. He didn't mean to say so much. "I was jealous."

"Jealous?" Peter echoes, eyebrows scrunched together.

"Yeah. Of you." Harley gestures in his general direction. "You're just- Tony always talks about you, how smart you are, how much he likes you, and I was afraid he would replace me."

"Wait, what?" Peter says. "Sorry, but I was afraid Mr. Stark was going to get rid of _me._ He always talks about you during lab time, and he always looks so proud and fond, I got...really insecure. And the I met you, and you're... _you_ , which is way better than me, and-I just became really insecure."

There's a slight silence, then Harley snorts. "Guess this was all a bunch of miscommunication, huh?"

"Yeah," Peter agrees. There's a beat of silence.

"Do you think he'll care about the fact that I'm gay?" he blurts out, immediately regretting it.

"What?"

"Tony. Do you think he'll care?" Harley asks, fiddling with his shirt's sleeves. It's Peter's turn to laugh.

"No, he won't. I'm pretty sure he's bi anyways," the other teens says. "And when I told him I'm pan, he just hugged me- which felt really good- and told me he was glad I trusted him with that."

Harley blows out a long breath. "Okay. Okay. Do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"

This seems to surprise Peter, but after a slight hesitation he agrees, just as Tony comes back. "Peter's sleeping in my room," Harley tells him. "Also, I'm gay."

His coming out is different than he expected, mostly because there's no rainbow glitter fluttering around them, but it's still nice. Tony hugs him- which is nice, just like Peter said- and assured him this didn't change how he thought of him.

"I'll get you a bracelet," Tony decides. "No, a shirt. Actually-"

"It's fine, Tony," Harley says, grinning. He meets Peter's eyes and winks at him, trying to convey his gratitude. He thinks Peter gets the message.

* * *

Harley is too hot to go to sleep, but he refuses to move. He's stubborn like that. He's starfished across his mattress. Peter is sleeping on an extra bed that Tony pulled out of nowhere for him, after spending nearly an hour gushing about his crush, a girl names MJ (which only slightly disappointed Harley- there were plenty fish in the sea, after all).

At least, Peter _was_ sleeping on it.

Right now, Harley realizes, he has no idea where Peter is.

He forces himself not to panic. _Relax,_ he tells himself. _He's not in any danger in the Tower._

There's a creaking sound from under his bed. Holding his breath, Harley peeks under it, and lo and behold, there's Peter. His eyes are glazed over, and a thin line of drool on his chin. "What are you doing?" Harley asks.

No answer.

"Peter?"

Peter murmurs something and crawls out. Harley sits back and watches him stand up.

Peter sways slightly, scarily still. It reminds him of when his sister used to sleepwalk, which- _oh._

Peter's sleepwalking.

"Alright, you adorable idiot," Harley says, pulling himself out of his bed. "Time to sleep."

"No." Peter grunts, which is surprising.

"No?"

"No." Peter affirms. He doesn't say anything else, just walks over to Harley's closet and starts rummaging through it. He jumps up and pulls him away.

"Hey! No touching my stuff," he says, guiding him away. Peter plops onto the floor, staring at nothing. Harley grabs a tissue and wipes the drool off his chin, peering at him. "Can you hear me?"

Peter grunts a little, which he takes as a yes.

"What's the pythagorean theorem?"

"A squared 'quals b square 'quals c 'quared," Peter mumbles, leaving Harley grudgingly impressed. 

"What do you want to do?"

There's no answer.

"Alright, then. You're going to sleep," he decides, nodding to himself firmly. He spends a good five minutes trying to get Peter to stand, because _Jesus,_ he's light but hard to lift when he's uncooperative. Harley grunts as he finally gets him to sit on his bed. "You happy now?"

Predictably, Peter says nothing.

"Fine, then," Harley huffs, gently getting him to lie down. He covers him with a blanket. The second he feels it, Peter curls into himself as his eyes flutter shut. Harley listens to his breathing slow down, until he's sure he's sleeping. That's when he realizes- Peter is in his bed. "Well, I guess I'll take your place, pal."

Harley pats Peter's head affectionately, then lies down on the extra bed and closes his eyes.

Soon enough, he's asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come yell at me on [tumblr](https://imalivebecauseirondad.tumblr.com/)!


	6. Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something wakes him up. He's not sure what it is, until he sees someone standing in the doorway. He squints blearily at them for a second, before recognizing them. "Pete?"
> 
> There's no answer. He fumbles to turn on his bedside lamp, still talking.
> 
> "Are you sleepwalking again?"
> 
> There's a sniff, and the light from his lamp illuminates Peter's face, revealing red eyes and tear tracks on his face. "No," Peter says, in a watery voice. "Sorry, I, I shouldn't have come, I'm being stupid-"
> 
> "No, kid," Tony says, gesturing to the bed. "C'mere."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is. The last chapter.
> 
> Enjoy!

It's two days after Christmas, and Tony is bored.

Pepper's gone to DC, Happy's on a break and will probably be pissed if Tony calls him, and Rhodey's at work, which has never stopped him before but he figures he should be nice to his platypus once in a while. And Harley's doing homework, which is kind of concerning seeing as how he hates doing it.

With no options left, Tony calls Peter.

It's not that he didn't want to talk to Peter - he'd love to have him here right now, god knows he could use the entertainment - but last he heard from May, his nerd friends were coming over. Ned and MJ- no, Michelle, he doubts she considers him her friend, which is fair because they've barely met.

But he's bored, so he pulls out his phone and calls the kid.

"Hey, Mr. Stark!" Peter says cheerily, a few seconds later. Immediately, Tony relaxes, already feeling better, which annoys him a bit. He's only like this with Harley, which leads to questions about how he feels about Peter he decides to ignore.

"Hey, kid," Tony says. "Whatcha doing? Are your little nerd friends there?"

"Uh, yeah, Ned and MJ are here." Peter sounds kind of distracted. "Wait- sorry, Ned, wrong piece."

"What are you building now?" he asks, determined to keep the conversation going.

"Uh, Ned and I- we're building a Lego Death Star, we're nearly done- MJ's kind of just reading a book and making fun of us."

"Huh." Tony makes a quick decision, already knowing how much he's not going to regret it. "Hey, when you're done, how about you and your friends come over?"

"Wait, you mean, like- to the Tower?" Peter asks. He hisses something to his friends, and there's thump in the background like someone just fainted. He should probably be more concerned about that than he is.

"Yup. So, how about it?"

"I mean- I'd really like that, Mr. Stark, but I don't know if-" Peter's voice abruptly cuts off. Tony can hear his indignant voice faintly, and feels faintly worried. A second later, someone speaks.

"This is Michelle," a cool female voice says, one he's heard a few times before. "We've met before."

Tony nods, even though she can't see him. "Yeah, I remember you."

"Peter's an idiot, so I'm telling you he said yes, and that we'll leave his apartment in about half an hour," Michelle informs him, before hanging up abruptly. He blinks, then puts his phone away, remembering how Michelle is Peter's crush. He grins slowly.

"Fri, we got any mistletoe left?"

* * *

They arrive in a little more than an hour. By then, Harley's free and has also helped with hanging up mistletoe to trap Peter and Michelle under.

"This is gonna be fun," Harley cackles, taking a seat on the sofa. A minute later, three teens spill into the room, and Tony grins, spreading his arms out.

"Well, if it isn't my favourite young adult!" he says. Harley clears his throat. "One of my favourite young adults, anyways."

Peter grins at them. "Hey, Mr. Stark. Thanks for inviting us!"

Tony shrugs. "I was bored. Do whatever you want, I don't really care."

"Holy shit," Peter's friend - Ned, he remembers, smart kid - breathes, staring around the room with wide eyes. "I'm in the same room as Tony Stark."

Harley rolls his eyes, grinning. "The hero worship fades off when you've seen him after four days of no sleep with a coffee in his hand and glitter in his hair."

"I'm not even going to ask," Michelle says, shaking her head.

"You guys wanna watch a movie?" Peter asks. "Mr. Stark has a lot of them, and the quality is really good, and-"

"Dude," Ned interrupts. "Watching a movie on Tony Stark's TV, in his home? It's a dream come true."

"So...I'll get the popcorn?" Peter says uncertainly. His friend shakes him.

" _Yes,_ you will get the popcorn," Ned says fervently, apparently forgetting Tony's in the same room as him. Peter gets up, and he thinks, _Perfect._ They put up some mistletoe over the kitchen.

"MJ," Harley says, apparently remembering the same thing. "Can you get some drinks?"

Peter shakes his head, and Tony sighs internally. "No, I-"

"I'll get the drinks," Michelle interrupts, breezing past him. Peter gapes at her for a second, then follows her into the kitchen. He shares a grin with Harley, and they wait. A second later-

" _Mistletoe?!_ " Peter's voice echoes around the room, and a look of unholy glee crosses Ned's face. He wonders just how long the kid's been waiting for this to happen. "What the- Mr. Stark!"

Tony takes his time heading to the kitchen, where he finds two furiously blushing teens stuck together under the mistletoe. "Oh, hey, kid. Looks like you got yourself in a bind."

"Why can't we move?" Peter whines, refusing to look at Michelle. _God, kids are so cute nowadays,_ a voice that sound suspiciously like Rhodey's whispers in his head.

"Oh, well, you see, you have to kiss under the mistletoe or else you can't leave- unless, of course, it's someone like me and Harley. That's just gross. If you don't, you're stuck there until you do."

Michelle blinks at him, apparently forgetting her embarrassment for a second. "How did you do that?"

"Oh, I have a wizard on speed-dial," he answers dismissively. "He owed me."

"Can't we just, you know- _not_ kiss?" Peter asks, giving him the pleading puppy eyes he's famous for. Somehow, he finds the strength to shake his head.

"Nope, you have to kiss. Tower rules." Tony wiggles his fingers at them with a smirk, before going back to the room

"But-" He hears Peter say, before he's abruptly cut off. Tony grins to himself. Ned looks like he might combust. 

"Finally," he whispers. "God, _finally_. They've been pining for so long- my ship has become canon."

"Can you even use that to describe them?" Harley asks curiously. Before Ned can answer, the two other teens come back in the room, both with silly smiles on their faces. He catches them looking at each other throughout the movie, and when he looks at them, they're holding hands.

"Ah, young love," he sighs to Harley, who snorts.

"They're so cute," Ned whispers dreamily, completely ignoring the movie playing in front of them. His hero-worship seems to have faded in the face of his best friends getting together, and he can't blame him. It must have _sucked_ to watch those two be oblivious for so long.

"I know," Harley agrees. The rest of the movie is spent in relative silence, and Tony thinks, _Yeah, I could get used to this._

* * *

Before they leave, Michelle comes up to Tony. "Thank you," she says, straight to the point. He blinks, taken aback.

"Um, for what?"

She rolls her eyes at him like he's being dense on purpose, but she still has that happy flush in her cheeks, so he lets it slide. "For the mistletoe thing. I don't think we'd ever get together if you didn't do that."

"Probably," he agrees. "Seriously, thought, it was no problem, Michelle. You guys deserve to be happy."

She gives him a long look, then says, "MJ."

"What?"

"Call me MJ."

He blinks again. He had _not_ been expecting this. "Okay. Well, you better go. Happy's gonna get annoyed."

She flashes a small smile at him before leaving. "FRIDAY?

"Yes, boss?"

"What just happened?"

"I believe you just made a new friend," FRIDAY says, sounding entirely too smug for her own good. He flips her off, then heads back inside, shaking his head.

* * *

Later that night, after Peter and Harley have _finally_ gone to bed, after lots of arguing, Tony rubs his eyes.

"Fri-" He cuts himself off with a yawn. "What time 's it?"

"It's 4 in the morning, boss. You should go to sleep."

"Probably," he agrees, waving the holograms in front of him away. He hasn't slept for a while, but maybe this night will be different. "Wake me up if either of the teenage miscreants need me, 'kay?"

"Sure thing, boss," FRIDAY says, as he pulls a blanket over himself. Soon enough, he's asleep.

* * *

Something wakes him up. He's not sure what it is, until he sees someone standing in the doorway. He squints blearily at them for a second, before recognizing them. "Pete?"

There's no answer. He fumbles to turn on his bedside lamp, still talking.

"Are you sleepwalking again?"

There's a sniff, and the light from his lamp illuminates Peter's face, revealing red eyes and tear tracks on his face. "No," Peter says, in a watery voice. "Sorry, I, I shouldn't have come, I'm being stupid-"

"No, kid, wait, c'mere," Tony says, gesturing to the bed. Peter hesitates, obviously unsure, before listening and sitting on the bed. "Come on, buddy. You can lie down, you know. What happened?"

"Nightmare," Peter tells him, crawling under the covers. "About the-the building."

"Oh, kid," Tony says, feeling the familiar guilt that always comes with thinking about the building collapse. "C'mere."

Peter gladly accepts the hug, apparently too tired to be embarrassed about it. Tony cards a hand through his curls, getting a contented sigh in return. "'m sorry," Peter mumbles. "For botherin' you and waking you up."

"It's fine, kid," Tony tells him. "Anything for you."

It's the kind of mushy thing he only says when he's really emotional or tired, and he immediately feels embarrassed. Peter just sighs and nuzzles closer. "Thanks, Mis'er Stark. You're the best."

Tony holds him tight until he falls asleep, listening to the sound of his kid's breathing, and smiles. "No, kid," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to his head. "That's you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for reading this story and bearing with my wonky updates! I love you guys, and stay safe!
> 
> Come yell at me on [tumblr](https://imalivebecauseirondad.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
